Safety locking device.



W. 1. FOWLER. SAFETY LOCKINGDEVICE. APPLICATION FILED APR| I6, 1915.

wmw Patented 0ct.19,1915.

y sate arnriar "when WILLIAM JOHN FOWLER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

SAFETY LOCKING DEVICE.

Application filed April 16, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM JOHN FOWLER, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Safety Locking Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved safety locking device for the emergency brake levers of an automobile.

The invention has for its object to produce a simple and improved automatic device whereby when the emergency brake lever is set to exert the maximum amount of resistance, it will be looked in such position and be incapable of being released except by the use of a special key provided for the purpose.

A further object of the invention is to simplify and improve the construction and arrangement of parts whereby the emergency'lever will be locked in set position, as abOX'G indicated.

With these and other ends in view which will readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same con sists in the improved construction and novel arrangement and combination of parts which will be hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawing has been illustrated a simple and preferred form of the inventiomit being, however, understood that no limitation is necessarily made to the precise structural details therein exhibited, but that changes, alterations and.

modifications within the scope of the claim may be resorted to when desired. In the drawing, Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of an emergency lever to which the invention has been applied. Fig. 2 is a sectional'view taken on the line 22 in Fig. 1. Fig.- 3 is a vertical sectional view of the handle portion of the lever.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are denoted by like characters of reference.

The emergency lever 15 which is fulcrumed at 16 is provided at its lower end with a pawl 17 adapted, to engage a ratchet segment 18 which is mounted on a support 19 which also supports the bracket 20 on which the lever 15 is fulcrumed. For the purpose of actuating the pawl 17 a rod 21 Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented eat. in, 1915.

Serial No. 21,746.

22 wherein the rod is guided. The rod 21, which is pivotally connected with the pawl 17, at 23, is actuated in an upward direction by a spring 2 1, thus maintaining the pawl normally in engagement with the teeth of the ratchet bar. r

The handle 25 at the upper end of the lever 15 is provided with a socket 26 through which the upper end of the rod 21 extends, the handle 25 being preferably offset from the body of the lever, as seen at -27, so as to place the socket 26 in alinement with the rod. The upper end of the rod 21 which ex- The notches or interspaces between the teeth 35 of the ratchet bar 18 are all of ap proximately equal depth, except the last or final notch 36 of the series, which is not engaged by the pawl 17 until the lever is set to its maximum extent. The partsof the device are so arranged and proportioned that when the pawl 17 engages any of the notches or interspaces between the teeth 35 except the final notch 36, the annular groove 30 in the enlarged portion of the rod 21 will be positioned below the locking bolt or pin 31' so as to be incapable of being engaged.

thereby. The last or final notch 36, however, is of such a depth that when the pawl 17 engages the same, the spring 24 will force the rod 21 upwardly to such an extent that the annular groove 30 will be placed in registry with the pin or bolt 31 and be engaged thereby. The rod will thus be held with perfeet security against downward movement until the bolt 31 is retracted by the key provided for the purpose, and the emergency lever will thus be securely locked until released by a person provided with a proper key for the purpose.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is

An emergency brake lever having a pawl, and a segmental ratchet bar engaged by said pawl, said bar having at one end amotch of materially greater depth than the remETim ing notches 0r interspaces between the teeththereof, a spring actuated rod for actuating the pawl, and a detent arranged to engage said red when the pawl engages'the notch of special depth, suc'h engagementproducing a movement of the red of greater extent tlmnghen the pawl engages any on. ef the reniuinl ngnotches. k

]n testimony whereof I in presence of :1 witness.

\VILLIAM J ()IIN FOWLER. VVit-ness:

HELEN G. DALEY.

afiix my signature 10 

